SHILLONG: With cases of road accidents skyrocketing to an all-time high and in view of the ever growing number of vehicles and two wheelers in the city, the Shillong Police is of the view that that traffic rules and safety norms have to be enforced strictly in order to prevent mishaps.
The statement from the Shillong Police holds water in view of the fact that this year till August, a total of 29 fatal road accidents have occurred in the district while 43 people have been injured. In the most recent case of a fatal road mishap occurred in the city, a 26 year old man lost his life after falling under the wheels of an army truck near Step By Step School.176 non-fatal road accidents have also occurred in the last eight months with 198 people sustaining varying degrees of injury.
Speaking on the matter, EKH SP Davis Marak stressed on the need for greater awareness about safety norms and rules among the people besides enforcing traffic rules strictly. Admitting that the Shillong Traffic police has shortage of manpower while the volume of traffic is increasing each day Marak added that the department has written to the state government seeking more manpower in the traffic police in the form of home guards to help in regulating traffic in the city. Traffic snarls affecting the daily commuters immensely without any scope for road expansion or construction of flyovers, has also aggravated the matter.
Though several high-level meeting have been held to chalk out strategies for reducing traffic jam, but the ground reality is that the situation has not changed at all.
The state government is tinkering with the idea of constructing link roads and small bypasses in the city to ease the congestion on the mains treets.
Five injured in separate accidents
As many as five persons were injured in multiple weekend mishaps in the state.
20-year-old Dala Shadap was injured after being hit by a truck which fled at Thangshalai around 10:35 pm on Saturday. The victim was shifted to Mawryngkneng PHC by 108 Mawryngkneng base ambulance and later the case was referred to Civil Hospital Shillong.
In another incident, Poonam Dey (30) met with an accident at Umtrew, Umsning by-pass. As a result, the victim sustained injuries and was shifted to Umsing CHC by Umsing Base 108 ambulance.
In a case of hit and run, two persons namely Pearson Sangma and Pliston Sangma were travelling in their scooty when a vehicle hit them at Mawlai Nongkwar around 9:54 pm. Both the victims sustained injuries and were shifted to Shillong Civil Hospital by 108 Shillong base ambulance.
On the other hand, a truck fell into a deep gorge about 75 feet in Puriang village, East Khasi Hills around 3:29 pm. A victim recovered from the vehicle presumed to be the driver sustained injuries and was shifted to Mawryngkneng PHC by 108 Mawryngkneng base ambulance.
